Hiya guys, was thinking of buying one of these to help my car cleaning, has anyone got one or used one? Are they any good?

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/gilmour-foamaster-ii-pro-foam-gun-and-free-1-litre-snow-fo.php

I don't have a pressure washer but i've got a hozelock hosepipe. I believe you can use these with just a standard hosepipe.

Cheers

Well for the price of that you could have Nilfisk C110 3-5 X-Tra Pressure Washer instead, just put some dilute car wash in & away.

Gilmour Foamaster II seems to be out of stock with most sites, and unsure of when new deliveries are due in.

These are not as good as a pressure washer and lance.

Dont waste your money..get a pressure washer first

Are pressure washers as good as a good Meguiars shampoo, a soft wash mitt and lots of rinse water?

Steve

Probably better because you're not going to pick up any grit, like you can in a mitt, it's just a medium/low pressure spray with soapy/foam initially which you then change to a high pressure jet of water to rinse.

You have a low chance of scratching your car.

Used in conjunction with your Meguiars shampoo, a soft wash mitt and even more water + a snow foam lance....

Considerably better AND safer to your paint!!

Just have a look through this to see what can be done

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=114198

OTT or what!

That's Simon for you!

If you pick out the stages, you can see what can be done, even on a weekly basis

It's not worth it around here where pig ignorance rules supreme when it comes to getting out of cars and dinking someone else's car!

Edited 5 April, 201016 yr by Evening Star

The hose end sprayers aren't bad, but the difference is night and day when you try a proper pressure washer and foam lance.

As you probably know, most of the little scratches/spider-webbing marks you see on cars are caused by washing. Dirt gets trapped between your wash media (sponge, mitt, whatever) and your cars paint - so when you scrub away removing the dirt, you're in effect gently sanding the top layer of your clear cote away, causing spider-web scratches and making the car look dull.

As a result, using a snow foam before your regular wash is a good idea, it removes as much of the traffic film and surface dirt as possible, meaning that when you set at it with your contact wash, there is less of a chance of scratching.

That's proper snow foam.

It's not worth it around here where pig ignorance rules supreme when it comes to getting out of cars and dinking someone else's car!

So...As a result of people in your neighbourhood, youre not going to look after your car?

Very odd logic IMO :(

I'll look after it, but I won't be going to the extremes seen here!

I agree with above to a certain extent. I'd love to keep my car perfect, but I'm sure that whenever neighbours see me putting in the effort it just makes them jealous and more likely to damage the car. Better a swirly car than a perfect one with big dents and peeling paint where neighbours have put their feet. I guess this is partly due to the crap area I live in though.

Edited 6 April, 201016 yr by anewman

I agree with above to a certain extent. I'd love to keep my car perfect, but I'm sure that whenever neighbours see me putting in the effort it just makes them jealous and more likely to damage the car. Better a swirly car than a perfect one with big dents and peeling paint where neighbours have put their feet. I guess this is partly due to the crap area I live in though.

Jesus!!

I'd move somewhere else if possible!!

Cheers everyone for the input, i'll have a think as to which method i'm going to go with. The only thing is,

i constantly get told NOT to use a pressure washer on a car; it can damage seals, grommets, tyres, rubber mounts, trim etc...

There probably isn't any one perfect way to wash your car.

Cheers

Cheers everyone for the input, i'll have a think as to which method i'm going to go with. The only thing is,

i constantly get told NOT to use a pressure washer on a car; it can damage seals, grommets, tyres, rubber mounts, trim etc...

There probably isn't any one perfect way to wash your car.

Cheers

It's all about striking a balance between being harsh enough to actually clean the car, while being gentle enough not to cause scratches, strip sealants etc.

A pressure washer won't cause any harm, as long as you keep it at a reasonable distance and don't blast directly into panel gaps or the grilles on the front.

As for the 'it's not worth the effort' debate - I respect that most people don't give a toss about their car, or don't have time to care for it, or have other reasons which mean they can't look after it as well as they might. That's fine, it's your choice. Like I said, while I might not agree, I respect your choice and leave you to get on with it. Anyway I don't think that any of this is very constructive or helpful to the original poster of this topic, so lets all hug and get on.

Buy a tank, OK crap MPG, but you'll have no problems with parking, wheel clampers or oinks who think it's funny to dink your doors & bodywork!

It's all about striking a balance between being harsh enough to actually clean the car, while being gentle enough not to cause scratches, strip sealants etc.

A pressure washer won't cause any harm, as long as you keep it at a reasonable distance and don't blast directly into panel gaps or the grilles on the front.

Agree although I found out the hard way with a bit of rubber trim around my passenger window. I have a powerful pressure washer and it hasn't damaged anytghing else apart from that piece of soft rubber (i.e. doesn'r harm my tyres even at close range). Absolutely great on the alloys too especially since the wheels were removed from the car and waxed.

Regarding the foam gun, I use the cheap plastic one from Halfrauds (about £15 iirc and I had to dremmel the lugs a bit to get it to fit my Powercraft washer as the fitting is Karcher) and Espuma TFR. It doesn't make as fine a foam as the picture above but it is certainly good enough for the job.

Edited 6 April, 201016 yr by muckipup

With my Scout being black I don't go to auto washes any more and I hand wash mine every week with the following routine - foam wash ( Karcher pressure washer with Karcher foam gun (it's not very good) using Meguiar's Hyper Wash suitably diluted) and leave that for five to ten minutes to work on the dirt. Then a rinse with clean water using the pressure washer (set to low - I'd like a vario lance for better control so will get that soon). Then using the two bucket method (one for suds and one for rinsing) I use two mitts ( one sheepskin for the upper bodywork, then one microfibre mitt for sills and wheels) to shampoo the car. Then I rinse the whole car again with clean water and dry with microfibre towels. About every two weeks I go over the car and apply Bilt-Hamber Autobalm to eradicate any light swirling and build up a good gloss finish. About every month I check for surface contaminants and use a clay bar to remove any and then repeat the Auto Balm routine to add gloss and protection.

I never use a brush or sponge on the paintwork.

Car looks great until I move it.

If you want to try a cheap pre-wash treatment you can use one called Muc-Off, in a pump spray like you use in the garden for pesticides, it works just as well .

If you want to try a cheap pre-wash treatment you can use one called Muc-Off, in a pump spray like you use in the garden for pesticides, it works just as well .

Thats all well and good but its an APC (All purpose cleaner) and so is likely to remove any wax or sealer protection you may have on.

If, as you say, its a prewash treatment, then its goodbye Wax and Sealer...BUT..If your going to rewax the car it will be fine

Just have a look through this to see what can be done

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=114198

Thanks Rob...........

OTT or what!

That's Simon for you!

If you pick out the stages, you can see what can be done, even on a weekly basis

:yes:

Jesus!!

I'd move somewhere else if possible!!

I reckon I would agree with that................

Cheers everyone for the input, i'll have a think as to which method i'm going to go with. The only thing is,

i constantly get told NOT to use a pressure washer on a car; it can damage seals, grommets, tyres, rubber mounts, trim etc...

There probably isn't any one perfect way to wash your car.

Cheers

Damage can of course be caused by using a pressure washer but this depends entirely on the end user as with most things in life.

Cars have to pass many tests with regards to Jet Washing and I wouldn't hesitate to use mine on window rubber's, engine bay's, door shuts, etc..........

To add my 2p to the OP, then I would say that the Gilmour is a good starter for 10, I know I used to own one and it did my proud, granted it was no pressure washer but it's better than one bucket and a sponge............

Edited 7 April, 201016 yr by Baker21